UNCENSORED Bahe Katenay, describing the desecration of Dinetah, the sacred place of origin, and the
polllution and desecration from widespread oil and gas wells here.

Censored by Indian Country Today

By Brenda Norrell

Bahe Katenay is responding to the fact that the Bush administrationdeveloped a task force to facilitate
industry requests and fast trackrequests for drilling. The Bureau of Land Management increased oil andgas drilling
permits by 70 percent since the previous administration.

CENSORED:Bahe Katenay, Navajo from Big Mountain, Ariz., said oil and gasdrilling is violating Navajos’
most sacred region, the Dine’ place oforigin, near present day Bloomfield, N.M.

“Gas reserves are drilled in places where White Shell Woman was foundby Talking God and places
where she did her Kinalda (puberty ceremony).“Places where the Twin Warrior Gods made their divine deeds are alsodesecrated
with drilling, piping, wells and recreation activities. TheDine’ have lost these lands and their ‘puppet’
tribal government haverefused to fight for a claim to this area,” Katenay said.

Katenay point out that sacred land is being violated while many Navajoshaul propane tanks in the backs
of their trucks for fuel to cook with.“What would the Christians do if their Holy Lands were dotted withnatural
gas pumping stations and strands of pipelines crisscrossedeverywhere?” Katenay asked.

“Then to make things worst, what if these gas reserves were illegallytapped with permission
from a puppet government that is made up oftheir own people. Finally, how would they feel if these naturalresources
were being bought off cheap from their nation, exported awayto another country and none made available for their use?

“To the Dine', this has happened when our Holy Lands were madeavailable to gas companies in
northwestern New Mexico in a region knownto us as Dinetah.

“Today, several major gas pipelines are routed out towards southernCalifornia. Many Dine’
of course have to pay for the natural gas orpropane from companies that desecrate their Holy Lands. Many Dine'household
do not receive piping so they haul their propane bottles tothe local markets to get them filled.”

Katenay said the place of Dine’ origin, Dinetah in northwestern NewMexico, still holds ancient
archaeological sites and a large portion ofthe creation stories related to all geographical features of that area.Energy
development threatens the Navajos’ Four Sacred Mountains,located in the region from Flagstaff, Ariz., southern Colorado
andnorthern New Mexico, he said.

“I travel from Black Mesa to these areas when I can. I am disturbedevery time I come back to
my Holy Land. I see new drilling and newroads that scar the wooded mesas and buttes. I always wonder if theSpirits
of our Creators are still alive there. Despite this, I stillget a sense of healing when I look upon Gobernador Knob or
HuerfanoMesa and its surrounding canyonlands.

“But I am also saddened when I think that, because these lands weregiven away for profit, the
rest of our sacred lands everywhere arebeing desecrated, today: Mount Taylor, San Francisco Mountains, and BigMountain.”

(In 2004, a report by the Environmental Working Group’s showed thefederal government has offered
27.9 million acres of public and privateland in New Mexico for oil and gas drilling. New Mexico ranked secondamong
12 western states for lands currently leased and second for theamount of land currently producing oil and gas.San
Juan County, the place of origin of Dine’, was among the top threecounties targeted, along with Eddy and Lea counties,
according to the2004 report.)